Robotic surgical systems may have multiple robotic arms to which a plurality of robotic surgical tools (also referred to as robotic surgical instruments) may be coupled. One such category of robotic surgical tools is electrosurgical tools which includes a monopolar electrosurgical tool or a bipolar electrosurgical tool as well as harmonic, laser, ultrasound tools. Another category of robotic surgical tools is tissue manipulation tools which may have articulated end effectors (such as jaws, scissors, graspers, needle holders, micro dissectors, staple appliers, tackers, suction/irrigation tools, clip appliers, or the like) or non-articulated end effectors (such as cutting blades, irrigators, catheters, suction orifices, or the like) without electrosurgical elements. While electrosurgical tools are mechanically coupled to a robotic arm to control its movement, they are also coupled to electrosurgical energy generating units (ESUs) so that energy may be applied to tissue at or near its end effectors.
Electrosurgical tools in a robotic surgical system may be mechanically controlled by one or both of a surgeon's left and/or right hands and electrically controlled to deliver energy to tissue by a surgeon's foot. When viewing an image of an electrosurgical tool and tissue on a display device captured through a camera, it may be difficult to see the effect of an inadvertent application of energy to the tissue. While a single mis-application of energy to tissue may cause some damage, increasing damage is likely to be caused to tissue with repetitive mis-application of energy.
The inadvertent application of energy to tissue may be caused by a mis-positioned foot over an incorrect pedal. To avoid a mis-positioned foot, a surgeon may have to look away from the display device to see his foot and properly position it over the proper one of a plurality of foot pedal switches. The inadvertent application of energy to tissue may also be caused surgeon confusion as to which of a plurality of electrosurgical tools in the surgical site is being energized. Moreover, if a surgeon's concentration is narrowly focused on the wrong surgical tool, he may not see the tissue damage being done by its mis-application. Energizing the proper electrosurgical tool in a surgical site can increase surgical efficiency and avoid excessive tissue damage to a patient.
Furthermore with additional types of robotic surgical tools being used with controllable equipment, it has become more difficult for a surgeon to simultaneously control all of the desired instruments.